5 ms·

Cancel your prime subscription, you don't need it. I canceled mine 3 years ago - couldn't handle the feeling that I was feeding the beast.

by brink 5y ago

DaveExeter 5y ago
If this article is correct, you are not "feeding the beast" by subscribing to Prime, you are taking food from the beast, since Prime is subsidized by Amazon.
- mint2 5y ago
  If you have prime, you’re ordering a lot from Amazon. (Because otherwise why have prime) so having prime is feeding the beast unless analyzed with an excessively narrow bounding box. Whereas if one doesn’t have prime, there’s many other retailers.
  - DaveExeter 5y ago
    "The losses Amazon sustains on Prime’s free shipping and selling goods below cost are how it maintains its monopoly power." According to this article, if you use Prime, you cost Amazon money.
    - lil_dispaches 5y ago
      Maintaining monopoly power > losses
    - cgriswald 5y ago
      No, that's not what the article says. What the article says is that if you subscribe to Prime and purchase a certain amount, type, and quantity of goods in some configuration you might cause Amazon a loss. If you subscribe to Prime in any other way, Amazon might make less profit, but you're not costing them money, you're 'feeding the beast.'
    - mint2 5y ago
      As others point out, those “losses” are more than made up by the customer lock in effects and market dominance they bring. A sale on item “x” is not a loss if it’s net effect is to bring in massive profits. If there was no overall monetary benefit to prime it would be peculiar for Amazon to keep it.
- bduerst 5y ago
  Amazon inflates prices to include shipping costs on prime goods, despite the subscription giving free two day shipping. It's most obvious on smaller items that typically only cost only a dollar so, but with Prime free shipping they include the shipping cost in the price. The customer pays for the prime shipping.
pwenzel 5y ago
Cancelled mine recently. I had to get back in the habit of shopping from other retailers. It's been just fine.
GordonS 5y ago
I like mine. Aside from package delivery (which isn't really a big selling point for me, TBH), my family and I watch a lot of content on Amazon Prime Video, and listen to a lot on Amazon Music. I find it good value for money. Now, rant about Amazon Music incoming! What I don't like though is all the spam Amazon does in Amazon Music to try to get you to upgrade to Amazon Music Unlimited - honestly, it's absolutely relentless! Multiple times a day it brings up a full-page and/or popup nag, and sometimes even does it in the middle of a track! I've been a member for several years, and must have said "no" thousands of times by now - you'd think the system would have realise by now that all they're doing is damaging good will.
- akhosravian 5y ago
  What mechanism would the system have realized it has damaged good will? You said you haven’t canceled your prime subscription, but have you started using the service less? I think this is a case where the relentless A/B testing ubiquitous in modern tech fails: how would one even measure this long term sentiment that may not affect user behavior for a very long time?
  - cgriswald 5y ago
    An A/B test should probably measure user complaints. A complaint is an indicator that a user’s usage pattern may change in the future. Of course, it may not. Although, as a user I’ve learned to complain by canceling (and explaining why when possible).
  - GordonS 5y ago
    I meant if I was building just a system, it would be obvious to me not to nah that much, or even to provide a means to not be bothered again for 6 months or whatever. You're right that it's difficult to measure goodwill over long timescales, but IMO not everything needs to be 100% science driven - the team behind Amazon Music must know that excessively, relentlessly nagging already paying customers is going to a not them.
- C19is20 5y ago
  Thanks for the heads up.

Cancel your prime subscription, you don't need it. I canceled mine 3 years ago - couldn't handle the feeling that I was feeding the beast.

by brink 5y ago

Cancel your prime subscription, you don't need it. I canceled mine 3 years ago - couldn't handle the feeling that I was feeding the beast.

DaveExeter 5y ago

If this article is correct, you are not "feeding the beast" by subscribing to Prime, you are taking food from the beast, since Prime is subsidized by Amazon.

mint2 5y ago
If you have prime, you’re ordering a lot from Amazon. (Because otherwise why have prime) so having prime is feeding the beast unless analyzed with an excessively narrow bounding box. Whereas if one doesn’t have prime, there’s many other retailers.
- DaveExeter 5y ago
  "The losses Amazon sustains on Prime’s free shipping and selling goods below cost are how it maintains its monopoly power." According to this article, if you use Prime, you cost Amazon money.
  - lil_dispaches 5y ago
    Maintaining monopoly power > losses
  - cgriswald 5y ago
    No, that's not what the article says. What the article says is that if you subscribe to Prime and purchase a certain amount, type, and quantity of goods in some configuration you might cause Amazon a loss. If you subscribe to Prime in any other way, Amazon might make less profit, but you're not costing them money, you're 'feeding the beast.'
  - mint2 5y ago
    As others point out, those “losses” are more than made up by the customer lock in effects and market dominance they bring. A sale on item “x” is not a loss if it’s net effect is to bring in massive profits. If there was no overall monetary benefit to prime it would be peculiar for Amazon to keep it.
bduerst 5y ago
Amazon inflates prices to include shipping costs on prime goods, despite the subscription giving free two day shipping. It's most obvious on smaller items that typically only cost only a dollar so, but with Prime free shipping they include the shipping cost in the price. The customer pays for the prime shipping.

pwenzel 5y ago

Cancelled mine recently. I had to get back in the habit of shopping from other retailers. It's been just fine.

GordonS 5y ago

I like mine. Aside from package delivery (which isn't really a big selling point for me, TBH), my family and I watch a lot of content on Amazon Prime Video, and listen to a lot on Amazon Music. I find it good value for money. Now, rant about Amazon Music incoming! What I don't like though is all the spam Amazon does in Amazon Music to try to get you to upgrade to Amazon Music Unlimited - honestly, it's absolutely relentless! Multiple times a day it brings up a full-page and/or popup nag, and sometimes even does it in the middle of a track! I've been a member for several years, and must have said "no" thousands of times by now - you'd think the system would have realise by now that all they're doing is damaging good will.

akhosravian 5y ago
What mechanism would the system have realized it has damaged good will? You said you haven’t canceled your prime subscription, but have you started using the service less? I think this is a case where the relentless A/B testing ubiquitous in modern tech fails: how would one even measure this long term sentiment that may not affect user behavior for a very long time?
- cgriswald 5y ago
  An A/B test should probably measure user complaints. A complaint is an indicator that a user’s usage pattern may change in the future. Of course, it may not. Although, as a user I’ve learned to complain by canceling (and explaining why when possible).
- GordonS 5y ago
  I meant if I was building just a system, it would be obvious to me not to nah that much, or even to provide a means to not be bothered again for 6 months or whatever. You're right that it's difficult to measure goodwill over long timescales, but IMO not everything needs to be 100% science driven - the team behind Amazon Music must know that excessively, relentlessly nagging already paying customers is going to a not them.
C19is20 5y ago
Thanks for the heads up.